Riordan Manufacturing Hrms Integration Project

Riordan Manufacturing HRMS Integration Project Narrative

Internationally renowned as the industry leader in the field of plastic injection molding, with innovative designs, attention to detail, extreme precision, and comprehensive quality control, Riordan Manufacturing's current human resource management system (HRMS) and methodologies are surprisingly antiquated and disparate with low-tech strands. Hugh McCauley, Riordan's Chief Operating Officer, has approved Service Request RM004 to analyze the current HRMS with the goal of integrating the disparate tools and centralizing all HR information into a single application.

Request for Project Plan

Before approving project funding, Hugh McCauley has requested a detailed project plan that lists all tasks, resources, schedule and budget required to complete the HRMS development and implementation project. The project must be completed in approximately six months to begin using the new system in the second quarter of next year.

Phase 1: Define Problem (Duration: 5 days, Cost: $2,800)

Hugh McCauley defined the following problems with Riordan's current HRMS at the project initiation meeting with the Project Manager:

• Riordan's current HRMS was installed in 1992.

• Changes to HR information are submitted in writing (on special forms) by the employee's manager and are entered into the system by the payroll clerk, making the process vulnerable to errors and lag time.

• Each recruiter maintains applicant information for open positions and an Excel spreadsheet is used to track the status of applicants.

• Training and development records are stored in an Excel file by the training and development specialist.

• Workers' compensation is managed by a third-party provider, which keeps its own records.

• Employee files are kept separately by individual managers who are also responsible for tracking Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) absences and any requests for accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

• The compensation manager keeps an Excel spreadsheet with the results of job analyses, salary surveys and individual compensation decisions.

• Employee relations specialists track information about complaints and grievances in locked files in their offices (Riordan Manufacturing, 2006).

High Level Project Plan

The high level project plan will be built around the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). WBS breaks the project down into a hierarchy of tasks which represent the work to be done, ultimately revealing the critical path. The critical path is the series of tasks that dictate the project's finish date and the resources allocated to help ensure the project finishes on time.

Formal approval of the high level project plan must be given by Project Sponsor to launch the project.

Phase 2: Analyze Situation (Duration: 27 days, Cost: $17,560)